Chapter 7—Survey Research
TRUE/FALSE
1. The purpose of survey research is to collect secondary data.
2. All marketing-related survey research is conducted with the ultimate consumer in mind.
3. Most survey research is descriptive research.
4. Some aspects of surveys may be qualitative.
5. Surveys provide a quick, often inexpensive, efficient, and accurate means of assessing information
about a population.
6. Survey results are better than the quality of the sample and answers obtained.
7. Total survey error contains two major sources: sampling error and systematic error.
8. Even with technically proper random probability samples, however, statistical errors occur because of
chance variation in the elements selected for the sample.
9. Systematic errors are nonsampling errors.
10. A sample bias exists when the results of a sample show a persistent tendency to deviate in one
direction from the true value of the population parameter.
11. Interactive survey approaches are those that allow spontaneous two-way interaction between the
interviewer and the respondent.
12. Nonresponse error is a type of respondent error.
13. Comparing the sample demographics with the demographics of the target population provides one
means of checking for potential response bias.
14. The number of “no contacts” in survey research has been decreasing because of the increased use of
telephone answering machines by consumers.
15. When someone is unwilling to participate in the research and tells the interviewer not to call them
again, a “no contact” has occurred.
16. Self-selection biases in survey research tend to overrepresent indifferent responses and underrepresent
extreme consumer positions.
17. A response bias occurs when respondents tend to answer questions with a certain slant.
18. The five categories of response bias are mutually exclusive from one another.
19. When a respondent “puffs up” his answers in an interview in order to make a favorable impression on
the interviewer, acquiescence bias has occurred.
20. When an interviewer is not able to write fast enough to record the respondent’s answers verbatim, the
error called interviewer cheating has occurred.
21. Interactive survey approaches are those that allow spontaneous two-way interaction between the
interviewer and the respondent.
22. One of the most important advantages of personal interviews is the opportunity for feedback.
23. The personal interview is especially useful for obtaining unstructured information.
24. The interaction between an interviewer and a respondent decreases the chances that the respondent will
answer all of the survey questions.
25. The presence of an interviewer typically decreases the response rate in comparison to what would be
found with a mail survey.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. People who provide answers to survey questions are often called ____.
a.
researchers
b.
clients
c.
respondents
d.
users
2. Clark was asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire posted at MySurvey.com. What type of
survey did Clark complete?
a.
Internet survey
b.
mixed-mode survey
c.
computer-assisted interactive survey
d.
networked survey
3. All of the following are advantages of Internet surveys EXCEPT ____.
a.
random sampling
b.
speed
c.
visual appeal
d.
accurate real-time data capture
4. All of the following are typically advantages of Internet survey research EXCEPT that it is ____.
a.
relatively low in cost
b.
representative of the population
c.
efficient in gathering large amounts of data
d.
accurate means of collecting information
5. When a research study is not conducted according to the plan in the proposal for the research study,
what kind of error has occurred?
a.
random sampling error
b.
systematic error
c.
respondent error
d.
implementation error
6. Systematic errors are also called ____.
a.
random sampling error
b.
interviewer error
c.
nonresponse error
d.
nonsampling errors
7. Systematic error is divided into ____.
a.
respondent error and administrative error
b.
random sampling error and administrative error
c.
response bias and interview error
d.
primary error and secondary error
8. People who cannot be contacted or who refuse to participate are called ____.
a.
random errors
b.
biased respondents
c.
sample selection errors
d.
nonrespondents
9. Barbara received a phone call asking her to participate in a survey. She told the interviewer that she
was too busy and would not participate. This is an example of ____.
a.
random sampling error
b.
administrative error
c.
nonresponse error
d.
interviewer error
10. People who are unwilling to participate in a research project are referred to as ____.
a.
refusals
b.
deviations
c.
no contacts
d.
random errors
11. In a research study, a potential respondent who is not at home at either the first or second attempt to
reach this person by phone is classified as a(n) ____.
a.
sample bias
b.
no contact
c.
interviewee
d.
random sampling error
12. When a hotel customer decides to fill out a customer satisfaction survey to complain about having to
wait an hour for room service to deliver his dinner, ____ has occurred.
a.
random sampling error
b.
self-selection bias
c.
auspices bias
d.
social desirability bias
13. Which type of bias occurs when respondents tend to answer questions with a certain slant?
a.
interviewer bias
b.
self-selection bias
c.
self-preservation bias
d.
response bias
14. When a respondent tells an interviewer that his annual income last year was $50,000 because he is
embarrassed to admit that it was $25,000, ____ has occurred.
a.
nonresponse error
b.
auspices bias
c.
interviewer cheating
d.
deliberate falsification
15. The tendency for respondents to agree with most questions in a survey is known as ____.
a.
auspices bias
b.
interviewer bias
c.
extremity bias
d.
acquiescence bias
16. Which type of bias is occurring when a respondent tells the interviewer that he reads The Wall Street
Journal on a daily basis so that he can impress the interviewer?
a.
interviewer bias
b.
auspices bias
c.
administrative bias
d.
acquiescence bias
17. Which type of bias occurs when a respondent wishes to create a favorable impression or save face in
the presence of an interviewer?
a.
random sampling bias
b.
social desirability bias
c.
administrative bias
d.
interviewer cheating
18. When a research company pulls a random sample of people from a phone book and that sample does
not include people with unlisted numbers or who do not have landline telephone service, we say that
the sample contains ____.
a.
sample selection error
b.
acquiescence bias
c.
social desirability error
d.
auspices bias
19. When an interviewer unintentionally and mistakenly checks the wrong response on a checklist during
an interview, ____ has occurred.
a.
interviewer cheating
b.
auspices bias
c.
interviewer error
d.
social desirability bias
20. When an interviewer fails to write the respondent’s answer to a question verbatim because the
respondent talks faster than the interviewer can write, ____ has occurred.
a.
acquiescence error
b.
interviewer error
c.
auspices bias
d.
interviewer cheating
21. Which term is sometimes used to refer to interviewers filling in responses for respondents that do not
really exist?
a.
curb-stoning
b.
auspices bias
c.
self-selection
d.
mere-measurement effect
22. The number of questionnaires returned or completed divided by the number of eligible people who
were asked to participate in the survey is called ____.
a.
churn
b.
return ratio
c.
response rate
d.
success rate
23. When a research agency conducts all telephone interviews from a single location where they can hire a
staff of professional interviewers and supervise and control the quality of interviewing more
effectively, ____ is being used.
a.
central location interviewing
b.
single-mode interviewing
c.
synergistic interviewing
d.
quick-response interviewing
24. Surveys in which the respondent takes the responsibility for reading and answering questions are
called ____.
a.
self-administered questionnaires
b.
independent questionnaires
c.
stand-alone surveys
d.
interactive questionnaires
25. John was called by a market researcher and asked a few questions about his television viewing habits.
The researcher then asked him to go to a Web site to complete a more comprehensive survey. This
type of study that employs a combination of survey methods is called a ____.
a.
two-stage survey
b.
pre- and posttest
c.
multi-media survey
d.
mixed-mode survey
26. Which survey method offers the least geographic flexibility?
a.
telephone interview
b.
door-to-door personal interview
c.
Internet survey
d.
mail survey
27. Which survey research method offers the lowest degree of respondent anonymity?
a.
telephone interview
b.
mail survey
c.
mall intercept interview
d.
Internet survey
28. Which survey research method is typically the most expensive?
a.
door-to-door personal interview
b.
mall intercept personal interview
c.
telephone interview
d.
mail survey
29. A trial run of a survey with a group of respondents who are representative of the target group for the
survey is called a ____.
a.
callback
b.
pretest
c.
drop-off method
d.
dry run
30. Survey software can require someone to answer a question but this too could be seen as unethical.
How can the ethical issue best be resolved?
a.
This issue cannot be resolved, so the question should be removed.
b.
Respondents can be told in the informed consent process that there are required questions.
c.
Respondents can be paid or given some other incentive to answer the question.
d.
A “do not know” or “prefer not to answer” alternative can be included with the question.
COMPLETION
1. The person who answers questions in a mail survey is called a(n) ____________________.
2. When primary data are collected by asking respondents questions, these data are being obtained via
a(n) ____________________.
3. Chance variations in sampling due to the elements included in the sample are called
____________________ error.
4. When a mistake in the implementation of the design of a research study is made, we say that the study
has ____________________ error.
5. When the results of a sample deviate in a significant way from the true value of the population mean,
we say that the study has ____________________ bias.
6. When the people who answer a mail survey are different in important ways (e.g., income level) from
the people who did not answer the survey, the survey is said to have ____________________ error.
7. People who are cannot be contacted or who refuse to participate in a survey are called
____________________.
8. A person who is not at home when an interviewer calls is called a(n) ____________________.
9. A person hangs up the phone when he is asked to answer a few questions about his television viewing
habits because he is not interested in participating in the study. This behavior is called a(n)
____________________.
10. If the interviewer’s presence influences respondents to give untrue or modified answers, the survey
will be marred by ____________________.
11. When a mistake is made in carrying out the design of a research study, ____________________ error
has occurred.
12. When an interviewer does not record the respondent’s answers correctly, ____________________
error has occurred.
13. An attempt to re-contact a potential respondent in a phone survey when no one answered the phone on
a previous attempt is called a(n) ____________________.
14. When a table of random numbers is used to generate phone numbers that will be called to contact
potential respondents in a phone survey, ____________________ is being used.
15. When answers to a phone survey can be entered directly into a computer to speed up the time needed
for data processing, ____________________ is being used.
ESSAY
1. Define surveys and describe the type of information that may be gathered in a survey.
2. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of surveys.
3. Name and describe the types of response bias.
4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of mail surveys.
5. Explain how response rates are determined for surveys and discuss ways to increase response rates for
mail surveys.
